Call of the Moon
by crystalgreatsword
Summary: A youkai named Okami is the owner of a family heirloom; a sword. She seeks to learn of its secrets at the Myouren Temple. However, what sorts of ramifications will that entail? Includes OCs.
1. Chapter 1

**Call of the Moon**

**Chapter 1 – The New Home of a Wolf**

The sun shone brightly on a cloudless morning. Birds chirped happily as they fluttered about on the canopy of the trees at the base of Youkai Mountain, ignorant of the pair of golden eyes watching them. Okami gazed up at the birds, her eyes lazily following their movements as she sat on a tree branch. With a yawn, she hopped off of her perch and began to make her way on the path that led away from the mountain.

Okami looked over her shoulder and glanced at the heavy crystal sword that was holstered on her back. "Every time I look at this sword, I get frustrated," she mutters with a sigh. "I can only use one attack; I can't hit people with the blade… right now it's proving to be more of a burden."

Okami glances up at the sky and says out loud, "Why'd you entrust this to me, father? I know nothing about this blade."

She shook her head at her own actions. Asking the sky is not going to give her answers. Okami started to walk down the path that led from Youkai Mountain to the Human Village. Perhaps escorting some lost humans would keep her occupied.

After travelling for some time, she came across a fork in the path. Standing there was a pair of humans, one male and one female. Okami instinctively hid herself, since she assumed they were lost. She strained her ears in to listen to their conversation.

"I heard there was a new Buddhist temple close to the human village. The chief monk does public sutra readings for both humans and youkai," the man spoke.

"Is that so? Why don't we go and listen to it?" the female replied.

The two humans began to walk down the left path, talking amongst themselves. Okami's curiosity was piqued. Perhaps this Buddhist monk knows something about her sword. It was unlikely, but she had no other leads. Okami started to follow the humans along the path.

_I don't know where this temple is, so I'll just follow these humans. They'll lead me to it, _Okami thought to herself as she walked along the path.

The humans eventually led Okami to a long, cobblestone path lined with stone lanterns. Okami became visible as her attention was diverted away from the humans and on to the temple path before her. A yamabiko was sweeping by the front gate, humming to herself. Okami's keen wolf ears caught the yamabiko greeting the two humans with a 'good morning.'

Okami approached the entrance of the temple grounds. The yamabiko looked up at her and greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning!" she spoke loudly, making Okami's ears twitch slightly. "Welcome to the Myouren Temple! You're just in time to listen to Byakuren-sama's morning sutra reading!"

"T-thank you," Okami responded absentmindedly and entered the main temple grounds. A crowd of people, both humans and youkai, were gathered around the front of the main building. A figure stood in front of the crowd. Okami's ears pointed towards the crowd. She could hear the monk reciting sutra.

The young okami didn't understand a word of the sutra, but it was rather relaxing to listen to. She pushed her way into the front of the crowd (as politely as she could) so she could hear the reading better.

"…and that ends my morning sutra reading. I would like to thank you all for coming to visit. Come again later for the evening sutra reading," the chief monk said with a bow after she was finished. One by one, the crowd dissipated. Some headed to the exit and others went and talked to other monks that lived in the temple. Meanwhile, the chief monk began to retreat into the temple.

"E-excuse me!" Okami stuttered, waving her hand to get the attention of the monk.

The monk turned around upon hearing Okami's voice. Her golden eyes met Okami's. "What is it, young one?"

"My sword is an old family heirloom… and I don't know anything about it. I was just wondering if you can help me at all," Okami spoke to the monk, who was scrutinizing her.

The monk took one long look at Okami. Her eyes flitted to the blade holstered on Okami's back. "Alright, I'll try to help you. Please follow me inside the temple," she replied with a nod.

Okami's golden eyes lit up. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" she said, a smile yanking on the corners of her mouth. Okami followed the monk as she walked inside the temple.

"My name is Byakuren Hijiri. As you probably already realized, I'm the chief monk of the temple," the monk spoke as she sat at a kotatsu and invited Okami to have a seat.

Okami sat down. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Byakuren-sama. My name is Okami. Okami Kobayashi," Okami spoke, bowing her head.

"Let me have a look at the sword you have on your back," Byakuren said, gesturing towards Okami.

Okami nodded and pulled out the blade from its holster. She placed it gingerly on the kotatsu. Byakuren examined the blade, carefully observing every detail. She ran her fingers over the blade, and looked up at Okami.

"You said this sword was a family heirloom? Do you know who the first person to acquire it was?" Byakuren asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My father found this sword. It's called the Crystal Great Sword," Okami answered.

Byakuren opened her mouth to say something, when the front door slid open and a mouse youkai came rushing in holding a pair of dowsing rods.

"Sorry for interrupting Byakuren-sama, it's just that I was picking up a strong treasure signal from in this room," the mouse youkai said, looking around and pointing her dowsing rods at every crevice in the room. She pointed them towards Okami and Byakuren, and her ears stood up. "The signal's coming from that sword on the kotatsu!" The mouse youkai approached them.

"Nazrin, calm down please. This sword belongs to Okami over here," Byakuren pointed to Okami.

"Oh. Well, Okami's weapon must be some powerful, ancient, valuable treasure, because the signals that my dowsing rods were picking up were off the charts," Nazrin said.

"I didn't know it was valuable. That's probably because I know nothing about this sword, save for one attack," Okami muttered, staring at the blade.

"Well, why don't you stay here at the temple? I will help you learn about your weapon." Byakuren suggested. "I think I remember a legend about a Crystal Great Sword that I heard prior to my sealing in Hokkai. The legend might help you with your sword, and we have a magic artifact user her at the temple who can help you out."

"What? Right now? Well, I'd need to get some of my belongings from my home, and then I'd need to-"

"Calm down, Okami. You can go home and pick up whatever you need first. We're not going anywhere," Byakuren laughed at the flustered Okami.

Okami looked down at her hands, and then stood up. She picked up her sword and placed it on her back. "Alright, I'll be right back, Byakuren-sama. Thank you so much for offering to help me," Okami said gratefully. She bowed and headed out the temple doors.

Nazrin and Byakuren watched as Okami left. A quiet air descended upon the room, only to be broken by Nazrin's next question.

"Why did you offer to let her stay here, Byakuren-sama?"

"Nazrin, you know we take in all youkai. Also, I've had the feeling that Okami has been alone for a long time… and who knows? She might eventually become a member of our little family here at the temple."


	2. Chapter 2

**Call of the Moon**

**Chapter 2 – As Luck Would Have It…**

Okami hurried back to the temple, lugging her rather small amount of belongings in a bag slung over her shoulder. She came to the front door of the main building, and entered after knocking. Byakuren was sitting inside talking to a tiger youkai.

"…her weapon is an ancient artifact, so since you are the user of the Jeweled Pagoda, you can help her out," Byakuren was saying.

"I see. I will do what I can, Byakuren-sama," the tiger youkai replied, bowing.

Byakuren peeked over the tiger youkai's shoulder to see Okami standing by the door. She greeted her with a warm smile. "There's Okami right now. Okami, I'd like to introduce you to Shou Toramaru, my right hand disciple here at the temple. She's the user of the Jeweled Pagoda."

Shou nodded, and spoke, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Okami. I hope we can be good friends."

Okami noticed the pagoda resting in Shou's right hand. The immense power radiating from it made the hairs on her wolf ears stand on end.

"Shou, please show Okami to the room she'll have during her stay here," Byakuren said, gesturing at the tiger youkai. Shou nodded, bowed, and then turned to face Okami.

"Follow me, please," Shou said as she started to head down a hallway lined with doors. Okami followed, holding her bag of belongings at her side. Shou came to a halt at a room at the very end of the hall. Gesturing to the door, Shou said, "This is your room, Okami. Make yourself comfortable."

Okami slid open the door and took a look at what is to be her bedroom. There was a futon laid out in the corner and a desk. 'Kind of like my own room, but nicer. I'll be comfortable here,' Okami thought to herself, haphazardly throwing her bag into the room and closing the door. "I'll get set up later."

Shou gave Okami a tour of the Myouren Temple grounds, explaining what each area is and what it is used for. Shou came to a halt at the training grounds, gesturing towards the surrounding area.

"This is where the monks train in their arts," Shou explained. Okami's attention was elsewhere, however. Standing by a training dummy, poking it lazily with a trident, was a youkai… of some kind.

"Nue," Shou called.

The youkai looked up. "What is it?" she asked with a rather sharp edge to her voice. "Who is that?" Nue pointed at Okami, who blinked.

"Your name is Nue?" Okami asked.

"Obviously," she replied, twirling her trident.

"You mean THE Nue of legend?" Okami sputtered, her eyes widening.

"Yeah," Nue replied, raising her eyebrow.

Okami bowed repeatedly and sputtered, "It's an honor to meet you; you're legendary! Oh my, I can't believe I actually get to meet you! I heard legends when I was younger, and I can't believe I get to meet you! I looked up to you when I was little! I can't believe it!"

Nue stared at the young youkai, her face deadpan. Her brow furrowed in thought as she mentally analyzed the paragraph that Okami spouted. "Are you calling me… old?" Nue spoke in a dangerous voice.

A flare of panic lit up in Okami's eyes, and she instinctively stepped back. "No, t-that's not what I m-meant at all!" Okami stuttered, shaking her head and stepping back.

Nue ignored her and raised her trident, taking a step forward. Okami yelped and ducked as the undefined youkai swung her weapon. Shou instinctively stepped back as well.

Nue's eyes followed Okami and she went for another strike. Okami leapt back a step to dodge the attack and rolled to Nue's other side so she could escape her blows more easily. She looked up and saw a blur of black, red, and blue heading straight towards her. Okami instinctively raised her hands and grabbed onto the prongs of Nue's trident just as it was about to poke her eyes out. Nue scoffed and tried to yank her trident out of Okami's grasp, but Okami held on tightly.

"Please stop! I'm sorry I insulted you! I didn't mean it!" Okami wailed, trying to stop Nue's rage.

"Just because you're younger than me, doesn't mean you can rub it in my face, you little squirt!" Nue growled, trying to yank her trident back. With a grunt, Nue pulled her trident towards her, bringing Okami along with it. Nue let go of her trident and grabbed Okami in a chokehold. The younger youkai let out a garbled cry.

"What is the meaning of this? You two, stop fighting this instant!" Byakuren shouted, storming over to the scuffle, Shou following in her wake. "Shou, grab Okami, I'll get Nue off of her," she ordered her disciple, who nodded promptly.

Byakuren grabbed Nue by the shoulders and pulled her away from Okami while Shou held the wolf steady. Okami gasped for air as she tried to catch her breath.

"Both of you, don't be immature," Byakuren scolded the two youkai, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry. It was my fault," Okami said, bowing repeatedly to Byakuren and Nue. "I accidentally insulted Nue, and she got angry at me. I should have been more careful with my words…"

"That's fine, Okami. You didn't mean it," Byakuren replied with a smile. Nue on the other hand, rolled her eyes and scoffed, shooting a glare at Okami. "Now, it's time for dinner, so why don't we all make our way to the table?"

The four of them began to make their way over there. Okami nervously twiddled her fingers as she followed Byakuren's lead. Byakuren slid open the doors and walked in to the Myouren Temple dining room. Inside, Okami saw a ship phantom, a nyuudou user, a tanuki, the yamabiko from before, and Nazrin at the dinner table. Shou and Nue went and took a seat. Byakuren stayed with Okami, seeing as Okami looked like she was about to throw up due to nervousness.

"Everyone, this is Okami. She's going to be staying with us," Byakuren spoke, gesturing to Okami, who waved nervously. Byakuren turned to Okami and introduced each person. 'Murasa the ship phantom, Ichirin the nyuudou user, Mamizou the tanuki, and Kyouko the yamabiko,' Okami recited in her head. Byakuren sat down and Okami took the last empty seat next to Kyouko.

"So, Byakuren-sama, why is Scruffy Wolf here gonna be staying with us?" Murasa asked with a mouthful of food.

"'Scruffy Wolf?'" Okami repeated under her breath.

"Okami's here to learn more about her weapon, and Shou and I are going to help her with that. However, Shou and I are busy, and Okami is a younger youkai, so I need someone to keep an eye on her training when we're not around," Byakuren explained, taking a sip of her tea. "Nue's going to be in charge of that."

Cue the spit-take. Nue sprayed the tea she was drinking all over the face of the person sitting across from her, which happened to be Ichirin. The nyuudou user sighed and removed her soaking wet hood, putting it off to the side. "Me? Why do I have to watch over that little squirt?" Nue complained, scowling.

"Because I said so, my dear Nue-chan," Byakuren replied in a sing-song voice. "You seemed to be getting along _just fine_ with her earlier. And you need something to occupy your time, seeing as you spend most of it sitting around."

"Y-yes, Byakuren-sama," Nue responded, sending glares at Okami.

Okami was frozen in her seat, staring at the plate of food and avoiding Nue's gaze. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

**Call of the Moon**

**Chapter 3 – Training Sabotage**

The next morning, Byakuren requested that Okami meet her in the temple's meeting room with her sword. Upon arriving there, she was greeted by Byakuren and Shou.

"Good morning, Okami. I trust your first night at the temple was alright?" Byakuren greeted.

"Just fine, in fact, I slept better here than I ever did at home," Okami replied cheerfully. She pulled her sword out from its holster on her back and placed it on a table in front of Byakuren. "You wanted me to bring my sword, didn't you?"

"Ah yes. Thank you, Okami," she spoke. Meanwhile, Shou leaned forward and took a closer look at the blade.

"The way the metal is forged makes it seem rather brittle," Shou remarked.

"It isn't forged of metal," Okami spoke, folding her arms. "My father told me it was forged from crystal."

"That explains it."

"So, Okami, do you want to know the legend I heard about your sword?" Byakuren asked the young wolf, who nodded in response.

"Alright. The description in the legend goes like this: 'A blade of moonlight, whose crystal blade hides an ancient and powerful secret,'" Byakuren recited.

"What's the ancient secret?" Okami asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

Byakuren's eyebrows furrowed and she brought a finger to her chin in thought. "Strange, I don't remember. It's been so long since I last heard the legend…"

"Well, can you remember anything else?" Okami asked.

After a moment of thinking, Byakuren nodded. "'The power of the blade, invoked through the heart and mind, seek after it, chosen wielder,'" she recited.

"What is that supposed to mean? Why do legends always have to be so cryptic?" Shou muttered, shaking her head.

Okami stared at her sword in thought. She can use the blade's energy waves by summoning the power within it. "I already know how to invoke its power, but I can only use one attack," Okami spoke. "I think the legend is saying I should search deeper, and try to connect my mind with the blade."

Okami picked up her sword and placed it on her back. She grinned to herself, suddenly feeling excited. "I'm going to go and try it out! Byakuren-sama, and Shou-senpai; thank you!" Okami called as she hurried down the hall and headed outside to the training grounds.

Once she was there, she stood in front of a training dummy and fixed her eyes upon it. Drawing her sword, she took a deep breath and relaxed. Okami closed her eyes and felt the power of the sword in her hands, just like when she would use the energy wave. She focused hard, and the power she felt grew in intensity. Okami opened her eyes, and the sword was surrounded by a burning white aura.

"Whoa, that's never happened before," she muttered in astonishment. However, in her surprise, she lost focus, and the aura disappeared. "Darn it!"

Okami closed her eyes and focused again. She was so intensely focused that she was unaware of the undefined youkai watching her closely.

"Look who's not paying attention…" Nue muttered, smirking to herself. Her eyes wandered to the rope trap that she carefully set up prior to Okami's arrival. The trap would activate once Okami stepped over a trip wire. Said trap was one of Murasa's anchors suspended over the trip wire. Nue smiled at her handiwork and sat back in order to watch.

After several attempts, Okami had figured out how to maintain the aura around her blade. She tentatively stepped forward and took a swing at the test dummy. The blade sliced clean through the dummy's body instead of making the loud clang noise it usually made. "This must be a protective aura that lets me hit things," Okami muttered to herself. "I need a ranged attack though."

Okami stepped further from the dummy and tripped over something behind her. She fell on her butt with a thump and an anchor fell on her head, causing her to drop the sword. "OUCH!" she shouted as her vision went fuzzy for a moment. The anchor pinned her to the ground once it fell on its side.

A pair of red ribboned shoes entered Okami's line of sight. Nue met Okami's eyes with cold satisfaction. "This is what happens when you don't pay attention, squirt," she teased.

Okami couldn't respond. Her head was hurting too much and her brain felt like jelly. She tried to push up to get the anchor off, but her arms weren't steady enough and she fell back down on her stomach.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Okami muttered, looking up at Nue, who merely scowled.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Nue spoke coldly. "Little pampered youkai like you get on my nerves…"

Okami growled and pushed up. She got to her feet despite the anchor's weight. Standing there, she faced the undefined youkai and looked her in the eye. "I have never been pampered," she said, and with that, she lunged forward and tackled Nue, knocking her to the ground. She drew her arm back for a punch, but it was stopped when Nue kneed her in the stomach. Okami rolled off of Nue, clutching her gut and moaning in pain. She quickly got to her feet just as Nue was lunging towards her for a punch. Okami drew her arm back and the two of them punched each other in the face at the same time.

Both youkai stepped back from each other, clutching their faces. They glared at each other and words started to fly.

"You little squirt! You just had to go for the face; can't you aim anywhere else?!"

"What? I only aimed there because that's what you were doing!"

Suddenly, Okami heard footsteps. Many footsteps. The wolf saw the shapes of Byakuren, Kyouko, Murasa, and Nazrin come running around the corner. "What happened here?!" Byakuren demanded. "Are you two fighting again?!"

The color drained from Nue's face when she saw the small crowd gather around. Okami's ears lowered as she looked at her feet in shame.

"You two are in big trouble," Byakuren said.

Okami and Nue were pushed into the storage warehouse of the Myouren Temple. Byakuren stood in the doorway, scowling. "You two stay in here until you resolve your differences. No fighting; you two need to have a heart to heart chat," Byakuren said, and with that she shut the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Call of the Moon **

**Chapter 4 – Back to the Past**

The dusty, stagnant air within the storage warehouse tickled Okami's nose. Every time she breathed, her nose itched more and more, and she resisted the urge to sneeze. She crossed her arms and glanced over her shoulder at the undefined youkai on the other side of the room. Okami narrowed her eyes, folded her arms and pouted. Time passed and not a word was exchanged between the two youkai. Okami got bored and started to count the miniature statues of Bishamonten on the top shelf.

"Say, squirt…" Nue spoke, breaking the silence. Okami's ears perked up, but she didn't turn around. "What's your story?"

"What do you mean?" Okami asked, looking over her shoulder.

"I mean exactly what I said," Nue replied.

Okami wondered why Nue was so interested all of a sudden, but the young youkai obliged. "I suppose I'll start at the beginning," she said. "I was born in the former Okami village, which used to be located at the base of Youkai Mountain. I never knew my mother, because she was sealed a few days after I was born. The village was razed by humans after my mother's sealing, and the villagers scattered. My father carried me out of the village as quickly as he could."

Nue was listening intently, her interest piqued. "So you lived with your father after that?"

Okami nodded, smiling. "My father was the greatest. He was funny, wise, and really strong. He taught me how to fight unarmed and survive," she spoke. Her voice was fond, but there was a slight hint of sadness. "When I was older, my father gave me his sword. It's the blade I carry around with me. He told me that I had to learn about it on my own; he wasn't going to teach me. When I reached 100 years of age, my father left me to fend for myself. Since that day, I've lived as all okami do, escorting travelers. I also tried to find out the secrets of my sword. Doing that brought me here."

Okami was silent after that, blankly staring ahead. Nue sighed and looked down. "Sorry, kiddo," she spoke. "I misjudged you. I thought you were a little kid who was babied by her parents her whole life. Turns out you're not too different from me."

Okami turned to Nue and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not?"

"No, you're not. I apologize for assaulting you, dropping an anchor on your head and insulting you," Nue said, putting a hand on Okami's shoulder.

"I… accept your apology," Okami spoke, surprised. "I'm sorry for calling you old, tackling you, and punching you in the face," she said.

"It's fine, it's fine," Nue said. "You really didn't mean to call me old… I just judged you too early and jumped to conclusions."

The two youkai conversed with each other until the storage warehouse door opened in the evening. Byakuren stood in the doorway and looked in. Okami and Nue were sitting next to each other talking about their methods of stealth, playfully criticizing and commenting on each other's techniques. Byakuren smiled to herself as she made her presence known to the youkai in the storage warehouse.

"It seems you two have made amends," she chimed. "You two can come back out now, it's time for dinner."

Okami and Nue got to their feet and followed Byakuren out of the warehouse and into the main temple building. When the two of them walked into the dining room, talking loudly with each other, Mamizou smiled to herself.

'Nue, it seems you're no longer an outcast,' she thinks to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Call of the Moon **

**Chapter 5 – Dark Influence**

Okami hummed to herself as she walked on the forest path leading to the Myouren Temple from the human village. She was on a delivery errand. Byakuren ordered some books from the Kourindou, and Okami was sent to fetch the books and bring them to her. Okami continued along the path as she shifted her grip on the books. Looking up, Okami saw birds fluttering in the air. She let out a sigh. It was on a morning like this when she found herself at the Myouren temple.

It has been nearly a month since then. Okami had gotten significantly better with her blade and she knew about many more of the swords' abilities.

The cobblestone path of the Myouren Temple came into view, and Okami smiled. She began to make her way to the main gate, when she slowed her pace. She felt faint and for a moment, stumbled a few steps. Her vision blurred and her head throbbed.

'_Kill…'_

Okami took a few deep breaths to steady herself but just as quickly as the faintness came, it was gone. She shook her head and continued on the path towards the gate.

"Good morning, Okami!" Kyouko greeted as Okami approached the main gate.

"Piss off," Okami replied coldly. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her free hand. "S… sorry…" she muttered, holding her head. Something was wrong. She didn't mean to say that. She meant to greet her with a hello. Kyouko looked at her with wide, worried eyes.

"Are you okay?" Kyouko asked, gripping her broom.

Okami blinked and sighed. "I think so…" she replied. She headed inside the gates and made her way to the main building. Byakuren was sitting at a kotatsu table, examining some scrolls. Okami enters the room with the books in hand.

"Hello, Okami," Byakuren greets, looking up at the wolf youkai. "Did you get the books?"

"Yes I did," she spoke setting the books down on the table. "Take the damn things…" Okami spat. Again, she covered her mouth in shock and Byakuren looked up at her in alarm. Okami took deep breaths as her head started to throb again.

Byakuren immediately got to her feet and extended her arm to assist Okami in case she fell. "What's wrong, Okami?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine… I just need… some fresh air and water," Okami muttered, turning around. She walked away, leaving Byakuren staring at her with her hand outstretched.

"Something's wrong… I felt an odd presence just then," Byakuren muttered. "It disappeared almost as soon as it came up, but it was rather strong and also… malicious."

Okami headed out into the temple courtyard and started to wander around. In the temple courtyard was a tall tree that Okami would climb whenever she needed air. She headed over there and grabbed a hold of the lowest branch and climbed up. She sat on a high, yet sturdy branch. She leaned against the trunk and rested her head.

"What happened there?" she asked herself. "I didn't mean to be rude but the words just came out. And that feeling of faintness and the headache… and that voice…"

Okami buried her head in her hands and sighed. She sat there and tried to relax despite the growing anxiety she was feeling. "This has never happened before… What's going on?"

"Yo, Okami!" a voice called, snapping Okami away from her thoughts. The wolf youkai looked over her shoulder and down at the ground. Nue and Mamizou were standing there, looking up at her.

Nue waved her trident at her. "What are you doing up there on your own? Get your tail down here! Let's spar!" she yelled, grinning widely.

"Come on, kiddo! Let's see what you got! Sitting in that tree won't get you any exercise!" Mamizou added, her tanuki tail twitching.

Okami stared at them for a while, her face blank.

"Hey, Okami! Snap out of it! Get your head out of the clouds!" Nue yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Oh… Sorry! I'll get down right away! I'll kick all of your butts!" Okami replied, putting a smile on as she leapt down from the tree. She drew her sword and stood ready.

Nue smirked and gripped her trident. Mamizou shifted into a battle stance. The practice match had begun.


	6. Chapter 6

**Call of the Moon**

**Chapter 6 – Scent of Blood**

"Regular sparring rules? Use weapons for pressure only, no danmaku, and physical attacks are the only ones allowed to hit," Nue spoke.

Everyone agreed.

Mamizou initiated the fight by transforming one of her paper shikigami into a copy of herself. The two Mamizous made a dash for Okami. One Mamizou swung her tail at Okami, who backflipped out of the way. She attempted to counter with a swing of her blade, which Mamizou easily dodged. This was the real one. Okami could tell because of her scent. The clone Mamizou dashed behind her and aimed a punch at her head. Okami gasped and ducked.

In the meantime, Nue had flown into the air and flew back down in a dive bomb, her trident aimed at Okami.

"Where's Nue?" Okami muttered to herself.

"Well," Real Mamizou said.

"…She might just be…" Clone Mamizou added right after.

"Right above your head!" Nue finished the sentence and plunged her trident towards Okami, who barely dodged it with a swift back step.

While Okami regained her balance, she got smacked in the head by Real Mamizou's tail attack. "Ouch!" she shouted and was sent reeling.

Nue swung her trident at the disoriented Okami, who lifted her sword fast enough to block the attack. Okami held her head with her free hand, as the head ache was returning.

"Stay focused, kiddo!" Nue warned, swinging her trident again.

Okami blocked the blow again. She kicked Nue in the shin while their weapons were locked and Nue stumbled backwards. Okami countered with a right hook to the jaw, which Nue ducked from. Suddenly, Okami felt arms around her waist. She felt herself lifted into the air and brought down onto the ground once more, this time on her head.

Mamizou had performed a suplex on Okami. The young youkai fell on her side. She slowly got to her feet, groaning in pain. Somehow she still had her sword in her hand. She looked up and Nue was dashing towards her. She swung her trident towards Okami once again.

Okami lifted her blade to block the blow, but Nue's trident hit the edge and continued onward to pierce Okami's shoulder.

"ARGH!" Okami howled in pain.

Nue's eyes widened and she pulled out her trident immediately. Okami's free hand flew to her shoulder and she gritted her teeth. She looked at her hand to see bloodstains. Her head was suddenly racked with immense pain and the wound felt like nothing.

"Sorry, Okami," Nue apologized. "I didn't mean… it."

Okami didn't hear her. She fell to her knees, gripping her head. Okami's vision blurred and she panted heavily.

'Kill her…'

There was that voice again. Okami could hear it louder compared to last time.

'Kill her!' it commanded.

Okami let out a groan of pain and shook her head. "No… I… refuse!" she growled through gritted teeth.

'You weakling… if you couldn't kill her, then why did you reach out to me?' it asked, its voice dripping with venom.

"Who… are you?" Okami asked, gripping her head tighter.

'Me? How could you not know? You've been with me all this time, haven't you?' the voice sneered.

"You're… my sword?"

'Finally, you show some brain cells! Yes, I'm your sword, you fool! I thought we were getting to know each other rather well.'

"What do you want…?"

'I want you to kill her. This "Nue" who stabbed you. Get revenge, you weakling!' the voice growled.

"I can't do that… no… I won't! She… she's my friend…" Okami spoke through gritted teeth.

'…fine. If you can't kill her… then I will,' the voice spat.

Okami's head hurt immensely once again, and she let out a howl of pain, falling to the ground and holding her head.

Nue and Mamizou watched helplessly as Okami writhed on the ground in pain. After a while, the wolf youkai stopped convulsing and slowly got to her feet, still gripping her sword. Okami looked up and stared Nue in the eyes.

Nue stepped back in horror. Okami's eyes were glowing a blood red hue.

"Kill you… kill you… destroy, destroy… DIE!" Okami roared and dashed towards Mamizou and Nue.

"What the hell?! Okami, what's wrong with you?" Nue yelled as she blocked Okami's sword swing with her trident.

"What's going on with her?" Mamizou asked as she pulled out several paper shikigami.

"I'LL DESTROY ALL OF YOU!" Okami roared again, louder this time.

"That's not Okami. Okami's eyes are gold. This person's eyes are far too soulless," Nue remarked, shoving Okami away.

Okami slid back a few feet, and stared at the two of them with bloodthirsty eyes.

"We have to snap her out of it…" Mamizou spoke quietly.

"But… how…?" Nue said worriedly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Call of the Moon**

**Chapter 7 – Separate the Beast**

Okami stared at the two youkai with bloodthirsty eyes. She lifted her sword so it rested upon her shoulder.

Nue and Mamizou were whispering amongst themselves, shooting glances at Okami every now and then. "What are we gonna do?" Nue muttered hoarsely.

"We could try tiring her out," Mamizou replied. "If she runs out of steam, maybe she'll turn back to normal."

"It's worth a try," the undefined youkai spoke. "We don't know how much stronger she is, so try not to get hit. And from the look in her eyes, I doubt the sparring rules are in play anymore."

"Alright, careful now," Mamizou warned. The two youkai then moved in opposite directions. Okami growled and swung her sword, releasing a wave of energy from her sword in a wide arc that only narrowly missed the two.

"I was right. Looks like the gloves are off now!" Nue remarked. She fired a laser from the tip of her trident at Okami, who countered with a wave of energy from her sword. From the corner of her eye, she saw Mamizou preparing several paper shikigami shaped like humans, birds, frogs, and dogs.

"Mysterious Snake Show!" Nue shouted, unleashing a wave of curvy green lasers. Okami growled and took cover behind her sword. Okami roared and charged at Nue, who suddenly disappeared with a smirk.

Okami paused her attack and growled. "COWARD! WHERE ARE YOU HIDING?!" she roared, swinging her blade at the air. The crazed wolf sniffed at the air, but found no trace of Nue.

Suddenly the wolf was pelted in the back by a multitude of paper shikigami danmaku of many shapes. She turned around and came face to face with a blow from Mamizou's tail.

"Take that, whoever you are!" the tanuki yelled. Okami was knocked back several feet, but she kept her balance.

Nue reappeared next to Mamizou. "I hope we're not hurting her too much…" Nue muttered.

"DIE!" Okami yelled, baring her fangs. She lifted her sword into the air and white energy gathered around it. "MOONLIGHT BURST!" Okami pointed the sword at the two youkai and unleashed a beam of white energy.

"Move, move, move!" Mamizou yelled as she and Nue leaped away from the blast.

Meanwhile, Kyouko quietly observed the escalating battle with a horrified. From where she was hiding, she saw the horrible, bloodthirsty red glow in Okami's eyes. Something had happened to Okami. The yamabiko ran into the temple. She had to tell Byakuren.

"Byakuren-sama! Byakuren-sama!" Kyouko yelled, sprinting into a room. Byakuren and Shou were in the middle of a conversation. The two of them looked up at Kyouko in shock.

Byakuren could sense the urgency in Kyouko's voice. "What's the matter, Kyouko?" she asked, standing up immediately.

"Something's wrong… something's very very wrong with Okami," Kyouko yelped. The poor yamabiko seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"What do you mean?" Byakuren asked. Kyouko lost it and started to cry. She ran to Byakuren and hugged her tightly.

"I don't know!" Kyouko bawled. "She started to roll around on the ground holding her head, and when she got up again, her eyes were glowing red and she was roaring and yelling! It was really scary!"

Byakuren's eyes narrowed. "I think I know what happened to her… it's got to have something to do with that strange presence I felt earlier," she spoke softly. Byakuren sighed and petted Kyouko's head. "Don't worry, Kyouko. We'll get Okami back to normal."

Byakuren grabbed her scroll. "Shou, come on. Let's go," she ordered and ran out to the courtyard. Shou followed promptly, her Jeweled Pagoda and spear in hand.

"Byakuren, what exactly is happening?" Shou asked, and then her eyes wandered over to the scene of battle in the courtyard.

Okami was firing lasers at Nue and Mamizou, who were shooting danmaku and lasers of their own back at her. A faint white aura was surrounding Okami.

"Oh great Bishamonten, please help us," Shou murmured and gripped her pagoda.

Byakuren could sense a powerful and evil aura around Okami that was completely different from her usual one. She tried to search for Okami's normal aura, but as she was focusing, she felt that the evil aura was centered her sword. Okami's true aura was buried under all the malicious energy emanating from the sword.

"The sword. The sword is what's causing this, it's the center of that evil presence I felt when I saw Okami this morning," Byakuren told Shou, pointing at the sword that Okami is swinging around. "We have to separate her from her sword."

"How do you propose we do that?" Shou asked.

"I need you to distract her. Keep her occupied while I prepare Superhuman," she said, unrolling her scroll and closing her eyes to concentrate.

"Understood," Shou replied, and ran towards Okami. Shou pointed her spear at the young wolf, drawing her attention. "Okami, stop this at once!"

"KILL YOU!" the wolf roared and swung her blade at Shou, who blocked it using her spear.

Shou looked Okami in the eyes and spoke sternly. "Listen to me. I know you're in there! This isn't you." The tiger shoved her away and held up her Jeweled Pagoda. "Light Sign 'Absolute Justice!'"

Beams shot out from the Jeweled Pagoda that trapped Okami between two lasers. Shou fired several orbs of light at the wolf youkai, who hid behind her sword, growling.

Nue flew behind Okami and fired green curved lasers towards Okami and Mamizou pelted her with animal-shaped danmaku. Okami was shot in the back and she gritted her teeth in pain as she fell to one knee.

"DIE!" she roared, getting to her feet and dashing at Shou.

"Shou, move!" Byakuren yelled. The tiger youkai stepped back several feet.

"Superhuman 'Byakuren Hijiri!'" the chief monk shouted as she flew towards Okami at a blinding speed, leaving a trail of danmaku behind her. She punched Okami in the gut and the wolf let go of her sword. The blade flew several feet away from Okami.

Byakuren moved away from the bladeless Okami. Okami gripped her stomach and looked up. Her eyes slowly faded back into their normal golden color. Okami coughed and she lost balance.

Byakuren caught the wolf youkai before she could fall. She was still alive, however the young wolf had passed out. "No surprise, that must have taken a toll on her mind and her body," she remarked.

"Byakuren-sama! How's Okami?" Shou asked as she approached Byakuren. Nue and Mamizou followed shortly behind her.

"Alive, but she's unconscious."

"What was causing that?" Nue asked.

"Okami's sword was emanating an aura. I assume it had taken control of her body and mind," Byakuren replied. Suddenly, she sensed the evil aura return. She swiftly turned around to look at the sword lying on the courtyard floor.

It was glowing in a faint white aura.

"This can't be good," Mamizou muttered.


	8. Chapter 8

**Call of the Moon **

**Chapter 8 – Evil Unleashed**

Byakuren, Nue, Mamizou and Shou watched stiffly as the blade glowed brighter and brighter. It rose into the air and released a blinding light. All observers winced and covered their eyes.

"What's going on?" Nue yelled.

"That sword, just what the heck is it?" Shou asked, gritting her teeth.

The light faded and everyone looked over toward the sword, or rather, where the sword was. In its place was a youkai with red eyes and silver hair. She had six wings and a silver dress, the color of moonlight.

"I'm finally free!" the youkai yelled, a crazed delight in her voice.

Byakuren narrowed her eyes at this youkai. The evil aura she was emanating was truly bone chilling. "Who are you?" Byakuren asked carefully.

"Oh? I'm called Kamiko, and I am that sword. And that sword is me. I am the embodiment of moonlight," the youkai smirked, the glow in her eyes becoming brighter. "And I'm going to destroy this land… and everything in it."

Meanwhile, Ichirin, Murasa, and Nazrin had come to see the commotion. They stood by Byakuren and warily gazed at Kamiko, who glared down at them.

"Byakuren-sama, what's going on?" Murasa whispered to Byakuren.

"Who is that?" Ichirin added.

Byakuren didn't respond, but merely stood there with the unconscious Okami in her arms. She had a feeling of impending doom in her stomach. The aura this youkai possessed was frighteningly evil, and she sounded like she would seriously destroy everything if she wasn't stopped. "We have to stop her," Byakuren muttered.

"Byakuren-sama?" Nazrin asked quietly.

"Myouren Temple," Byakuren started. "To arms! Attack that six winged youkai! We cannot let her leave temple grounds!"

Everyone readied for battle. Ichirin summoned Unzan, Murasa brought out her anchor, Nue readied her trident, Mamizou prepared her paper shikigami, and Shou held up her Jeweled Pagoda.

"Nazrin. I need you to take Okami inside the temple to Kyouko. Keep an eye on Okami," Byakuren ordered. Nazrin nodded and hoisted the unconscious Okami upon her shoulders, but due to Okami's height, her feet were dragged behind her. Nazrin dragged Okami all the way to the main building in the temple. Kyouko was inside, staring at the ground and sniffling. The yamabiko turned her head and saw Nazrin lug the unconscious Okami into the room.

"Okami!" Kyouko yelped, rushing to Nazrin. "What happened to her?"

"Byakuren told me to carry her here while she deals with her sword," Nazrin explained.

"Her sword?"

"Turns out that sword of hers is a youkai; a pretty scary youkai," Nazrin spoke, putting Okami under the kotatsu and elevating her head with a nearby pillow.

"Is Okami okay?" Kyouko asked.

"Yeah. She's just unconscious," Nazrin replied. "I'm worried about the others."

Meanwhile, Ichirin and Unzan were throwing massive punches at Kamiko, who merely deflected the attacks with a wave of moonlight. Murasa chucked her anchor towards the moonlight youkai, but Kamiko caught it with both hands and threw it back. Murasa just barely dodged her own anchor.

"She's strong. Really strong," Murasa commented, gritting her teeth.

"I'm not surprised. Have you seen what she did to Okami? Poor girl fell unconscious after that _thing_ pretty much possessed her!" Nue remarked. She glared at Kamiko and fired multiple green curvy lasers at the youkai.

Kamiko attempted to dodge them but got nicked in the arm by one of the lasers. She narrowed her eyes at fired a beam of moonlight at the undefined youkai. The beam sped towards her at an ungodly speed, but Byakuren reflected the beam with her Star Maelstrom lasers.

This opened the path for Murasa, Ichirin and Shou to charge in. Kamiko growled and unleashed a shockwave, knocking everyone back several feet.

Byakuren grit her teeth and sighed. If this youkai could do that with one blow, then it would be far too risky to try attacking any further. "Everyone, fall back," Byakuren ordered.

"But Byakuren-sama! We're not supposed to let it off the grounds!" Shou protested.

"I can't risk continuing this battle. She's too strong… we have to regroup," Byakuren said, glaring at Kamiko. Byakuren didn't want to lose anyone.

Everyone stood back, albeit unwillingly. A crazed grin spread across Kamiko's face. "So you've given up? A smart choice. As a reward, I'll kill your little temple last," she snarled. The moonlight youkai retreated and flew off into the distance. Byakuren clenched her fist around her scroll.

"What have I released into Gensokyo?" she muttered, biting her lip.


	9. Chapter 9

**Call of the Moon**

**Chapter 9 – Wolf's Lament**

Mamizou stared out the window and gazed upon the Gensokyo sunset. Under normal circumstances, she would have admired its beauty, but her thoughts were elsewhere. In the distance was a plume of smoke and a distant figure. Faintly, one could see the six wings upon the distant figure's back. Mamizou gripped her arm, which was currently in a cast. She had broken it a day ago when she and Nue were sent on a reconnaissance mission to see what Kamiko had done to Gensokyo. The duo was spotted and Kamiko broke Mamizou's arm. Nue was furious.

On a somewhat lighter note, Kamiko hasn't done much to Gensokyo at the moment. All the moonlight youkai seems to do is assault youkai and humans traveling around on roads. However, Byakuren has not let her guard down; however, she is unwilling to send scouts to Kamiko. Every single one she sends has been injured upon return.

Mamizou sighed and looked at the unconscious youkai behind her. Okami has not yet woken up since she fell unconscious three days ago. Mamizou kept watch over the young wolf youkai at Kyouko's request.

Okami's eyes fluttered open as she slowly sat up. Blinking her eyes, she took notice of the tanuki watching over her. She stretched her arms and rubbed her eyes.

"You're awake," Mamizou said.

"How long was I out?" Okami asked. The last thing she remembered was hearing the voice and feeling excruciating pain in her head, but after that, nothing.

"Three days," Mamizou answered. "You were possessed by your sword and you went crazy. Byakuren-sama had to separate you from your sword to stop you. You fell unconscious after that. But the sword… the sword is its own being. It's a nasty, evil, and immensely powerful sentient being. She… called herself Kamiko. She threatened to destroy all of Gensokyo."

Okami listened to Mamizou's explanation and grew increasingly horrified. "My sword wants to destroy Gensokyo? I've been carrying it… er… her for hundreds of years. I've relied on that sword… and it wants to…" Okami trailed off, biting her lip.

"That's not all," Mamizou said softly.

"There's more…?" Okami muttered dejectedly.

"Due to the recent events… Nue hasn't been very happy with what's happened. She's angry. She won't tell me who or what she's angry at, but maybe you should talk to her," Mamizou suggested. Okami got out of the futon she was resting in, and she stood to her feet and stretched.

"Alright, I'll do that," the wolf youkai replied. She still felt a bit lightheaded due to having woken up only recently. She walked outside and saw Nue leaning on the tree in the courtyard. Okami approached the undefined youkai.

Nue looked over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes. She let out a scoff upon seeing Okami. "It's you. What do you want?" she spat.

"I just wanted to talk to you," Okami replied, furrowing her brow.

Nue made a 'tch' noise. "There's nothing to talk about. I just want to be alone," Nue said.

"Why are you so angry? Things may look bad, but acting so down isn't going to help anyone," the wolf youkai retorted, folding her arms.

Nue glared at Okami and stepped towards her. "Why am I angry? Why am I angry? Do you want to know why I'm so angry?" Nue demanded, jabbing her finger at Okami's collarbone with each word.

"Yeah, I want to know," Okami replied. "I want to help."

"I'm angry at you, you stupid wolf!"

Okami was speechless.

"You're the reason all of this has happened! Because of you, that monstrosity is loose in Gensokyo! Because of you, Byakuren-sama is horribly stressed out! Because of you, humans and youkai are getting assaulted and terrorized! Because of you, we can't leave this temple uninjured!" Nue shouted. "Every time Byakuren sends us out some of us on recon regarding Kamiko, we always get hurt. Mamizou's arm was broken, Murasa's shoulder was dislocated, Ichirin has multiple lacerations, I almost got strangled, and poor Kyouko's ankle was sprained."

Okami started at the ground, her bottom lip quivering. "Even Kyouko got hurt…?"

"Yes! And it's all your fault," the undefined youkai said coldly. "This never would have happened if you hadn't come here. If only you hadn't joined us. It would have been better for all of us if you had stayed away!"

Okami was silent for several moments. She took several deep breaths. It was true. This entire mess was her fault. She wanted to learn about her blade, and she got her wish. In doing so, she endangered her new friends at the temple and also Gensokyo. Okami fought back tears. "Fine then, Nue. If you want me to leave, then that is what I'll do. I caused this mess… it's my responsibility to fix it," Okami said.

Nue clenched her fist, and turned away from the wolf youkai. "If you really want to help me, just leave. Leave and never come back. I don't ever want to see your face again."

Okami began to walk to the gate. "I'm going to fight Kamiko. I'm going to fix this mess," she said. She took to the skies and flew as fast as she could. The tears she'd been fighting back fell down her face freely. She thought she'd made friends. She'd lived with them and laughed with them for nearly a month. But in the end, she'd let them all down. She put them all in danger. The wolf youkai looked around for her sword, the moonlight youkai.

"Looking for someone, little Okami?" a sinister voice said from behind Okami.

Okami spun around and instinctively reached for her sword, but she stopped when she remembered that she was facing her. This youkai's voice was the same one she heard in her head. "You're Kamiko…"

"You're not as dull as you seem. Anyway, it is nice to finally meet you, face to face. I am Kamiko, the youkai of moonlight," Kamiko spoke.

Okami stared at her, growing angrier by the second.

"Oh, you seem infuriated. I wonder why…? Ah. It must be because your incessant curiosity woke me up from my deep sleep. So I took that liberty and had a bit of fun with your friends at the temple," Kamiko sneered, reveling Okami's growing fury.

"I'll make sure you never see another day, you horrible beast!" Okami roared, flying towards Kamiko. She drew her arm back for a punch, but Kamiko merely smirked as she grabbed Okami's hand, stopping her attack.

Kamiko punched Okami in the gut, sending the wolf flying backwards.

"GAH!"

Kamiko raised her hand into the air and charged a beam of energy. She narrowed her eyes and muttered, "Moonlight Beam." Kamiko launched the energy at Okami.

Okami took the full force of the blow and went flying backwards even further. She crashed through several trees before falling down a deep hole in the ground. Okami felt weaker and weaker as she fell down the hole. Her vision grew fuzzier and it finally faded to black as she hit the bottom.


	10. Chapter 10

**Call of the Moon**

**Chapter 10 – The Truth in Moonlight **

**(A note from the authoress: I'm so very, very, very, very sorry for this opening scene. It was killing me to write it, but I felt it was relevant D: ) **

Okami's eyes shot open and she looked around furiously as she stood up. Her body was aching, but she did her best to ignore it. The wolf youkai squinted as her eyes adjusted to the fog surrounding her. She was standing in a rocky plain. Many blades were impaled on the ground, but they lined an eerily familiar cobblestone pathway. Okami followed it, fear encroaching in the pit of her stomach.

She had a bad feeling about this. A very, very bad feeling. Okami swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat and continued to walk down the path. The number of swords impaled in the ground became fewer and fewer in number as Okami proceeded. She came across what seemed to be the ruins of a gate, and at her feet, was a broom. Okami looked at it and noticed a stain of blood at the handle, and a trail of blood leading forward.

The wolf youkai's stomach fell as she saw the broom. It looked painfully familiar, but Okami continued to walk forward. The fog thickened as she followed the trail of blood. Okami tripped over something on the ground, and when she turned to look at it, she nearly threw up.

Lying on the ground was the mangled body of Nazrin. Her throat was ripped out, her eyes were open in a horrified stare and a pool of blood leaked out of her mouth.

Okami's hand flew to her mouth as nausea and horror weakened her stomach. Tears started to form in the young wolf's eyes. She tore her eyes away from Nazrin, but her eyes widened even more upon what she saw ahead.

"No…"

Okami was speechless. Tears fell freely down her face as she stared at the dead bodies of Ichirin, Shou, and Mamizou. Okami fell to her knees. Had this happened because of her? Because she was foolish enough to let this all happen?

"Hey, kid," a voice spoke. Okami looked up, tears blurring her vision. She saw the ghostly form of Murasa floating in front of her. "How have you been?" she asked sadly.

"What happened here? What happened to everyone?" Okami wailed, her voice shaking.

Murasa didn't respond, only looking behind her at the bodies of her slain friends. "Things didn't go so well after you left, kiddo."

Okami forced herself to stand, and she moved forward. The fog cleared, and Okami heart fell as she saw the ruins of the Myouren Temple. And in front of it, were the corpses of Nue… Byakuren… and Kyouko.

Okami let out a cry of anguish as she kneeled by the bodies of her fallen friends. She let tears fall down her face as uncontrollable sobs shook her body.

"I'm sorry… I can't believe I let this happen," Okami sobbed.

"All your fault…" a voice echoed. "All your fault."

The voice came closer. Okami turned around and saw a figure that was coming closer and closer. "Your fault… they died because of your weakness!"

Kamiko appeared from the fog, clutching the sword in her hand. Okami stared blankly at Kamiko, her puffy, tear stained eyes directed right at Kamiko's glowing red eyes.

Okami fell to her knees again. She glanced to her side as Kamiko placed her blade level with Okami's neck. The moonlight youkai drew the blade back and swung.

"…up!" a voice called. "Please wake up!"

Okami's eyes flew open, sweat drenching her forehead, and her breathing heavy. There was a youkai shaking her vigorously. Okami sat up, looking around in a panic. She was in a dimly lit cavern. She let out a soft sigh. It was just a nightmare… but still… could it actually happen?

"I'm so glad you're okay, Okami," the youkai next to her spoke.

"Yes, but… how do you know my name?" Okami asked, frowning as she looked at the youkai. The youkai had long black hair and warm brown eyes. A pair of wolf ears sat atop her head, and the youkai wore a red dress with white sleeves. Behind her a wolf tail swished around. The more Okami looked at her, the more familiar she seemed. She seemed like a distant memory…

"How? I can't go on forgetting my own daughter's name now, can I?" the youkai smiled.

Okami stared at the youkai for several long moments before it dawned on her. "…mom?"

The youkai nodded slowly. This was Okami's mother, Tsukiyo Kobayashi, the youkai sealed several days after Okami's birth. Okami's eyes started to tear up and she sniffled. The young wolf youkai hugged her mother tightly and sobbed.

"Mom, so much has happened! Just… I… I don't know what to do anymore," Okami cried. Tsukiyo gently petted her daughter's head.

"Tell me everything," she spoke.


	11. Chapter 11

**Call of the Moon**

**Chapter 11 – Who Am I?**

"So that's what happened, huh?" Tsukiyo remarked as she listened to Okami's recollection of everything that has happened.

"Yeah. I left the temple to try and fix the mess I made, but I got my butt kicked horribly," Okami concluded, staring at her feet.

"I see. Well, if you're going to defeat Kamiko, then you need to know something about yourself," Tsukiyo replied. Okami looked up, ears perked.

"But I'm just me! I'm nothing without that sword. I couldn't do anything! I don't want my friends to die!" Okami wailed, tears threatening to spill from her eyes again.

"You know your father found that sword a long, long time ago, right?" Tsukiyo asked. "He told me that it felt heavy upon his back and he could feel an untapped fury trying to escape from it. When he first found it, it was exuding a multitude of emotions; pain, sadness, jealousy… the being seemed to be… heartbroken. Over time, it quieted down, but would still flare up occasionally. But when you were born, the blade quieted down completely. Not a single outburst."

"When I was born? How come?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Tsukiyo replied.

Okami furrowed her brows. She'd need to think about that later, but right now other questions were weighing on her mind. "Mom… why were you sealed? Why was the village razed?"

"Your father didn't tell you this?" Tsukiyo asked, raising an eyebrow. Okami stared at her and shook her head no. "That man, I swear," she muttered, a small smile on her face. "He probably told you the short version because he thought you were too young to know."

"I'm not that young anymore. I want to know what happened," Okami remarked.

"Our race is not as strong as oni, not as fast as tengu, and not as intelligent as kappa. We're one of the more balanced youkai on Youkai Mountain. We specialize in escorts, and thus live close to humans. The humans were fine with this for many generations. But as time passed on, their fear of youkai took over and they held us at arms' length. They looked upon us with suspicious eyes. They seemed to be on the verge of trying to exterminate us even before your father and I became the Alpha Wolves," Tsukiyo explained, folding her arms.

"My parents were Alpha Wolves?" Okami asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes we were. But that all means nothing now. About a week after you were born, the humans had had enough of us. They came marching into our village, called the Okami Village, and started a riot outside our gates. You were named after our village, by the way. I was called to go and check out the riot with several others. The humans brought youkai exterminators with them. One of the exterminators used a sealing charm on me, and the next thing I remember, I woke up not far from where you landed."

"Who unsealed you though? I thought that youkai cannot undo seals placed on them?" Okami asked.

"We can't. Someone down here undid my seal. Is there anything else you want to know?"

Okami looked down at her feet again. "What did you want me to know about myself?"

"Ah that's right. I forgot. As a race, okami all share the same ability: to hide themselves from humans when they escort them. In addition to that each individual has an ability unique to them," Tsukiyo started. "Your father's unique ability is to regulate physical pressure, allowing him strength to lift things several times his own weight. My unique ability is to generate shockwaves, albeit only to a certain extent."

"And mine? What is mine?" Okami asked.

"You don't know? That's weird. All of us are born knowing how to use our abilities. With time and patience, we learn to control them."

"I don't know. Father never told me anything about unique abilities," Okami replied, staring at her mother confusedly.

"Oh. Seriously, your father has sheltered you from many things regarding your past," Tsukiyo remarked. "You've probably forgotten how to use it due to all the other means of attack you've had. I think I know what to do, though."

Okami's ears perked up. "Really? What should we do about it?"

"Even if memories are forgotten, they are still buried in your heart. Follow me," Tsukiyo spoke, standing up.

She led Okami down deeper into the cavern. The path opened into an even larger cavern. Okami looked up and could not find the ceiling, but not only that, there was an impressive city lit with paper lanterns to the west and to the east was a large mansion. Tsukiyo headed to the mansion's front door and opened it. Okami followed her inside, looking around with wide eyes.

"Try not to chase any of the cats or the ravens," Tsukiyo remarked when Okami was closely watching one of the cats wandering around.

"Okay."

"Tsukiyo, who is this that you have brought to the palace?" a voice asked. Okami turned her head to the source of the voice. At the top of the staircase in the entrance hall was a youkai with pink hair and a third eye. She began to climb down the stairs and stopped in front of the two wolves.

Tsukiyo and the youkai stared at each other for several moments. The youkai nodded and turned her attention to Okami.. "So you are Tsukiyo's daughter, Okami? It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Satori Komeiji. Shall I offer you tea and a place to sit?"

Courtesy of Satori, Okami had been informed of this palace and was now sitting at the Palace's kotatsu table with tea in hand. Tsukiyo and Satori were also seated there.

"You need me to search your daughter's heart for a memory she had forgotten? I can do that. What exactly is it I'm looking for?" Satori asked Tsukiyo.

"Information on her unique ability," Tsukiyo responded.

Satori proceeded to look at Okami. She stared at her with all three eyes. The young wolf fidgeted in her seat. After several moments, Satori stopped staring so intensely. "Okami, your ability is to absorb and store moonlight for use as energy in battle," she stated.

"Oh that's right. When you were very little, you would shoot beams of energy from your hands whenever you got excited," Tsukiyo remarked.

"I… remember now," Okami muttered. She extended her hand out and concentrated. A ball of energy formed and floated in her hand. "Now that I remember… it feels completely natural…"

"I've also seen many other things in your psyche, Okami. There is a great danger in the surface. You are needed there," Satori spoke. She glanced at Tsukiyo, who was looking at her hands, and then back at Okami. "I know you're afraid of Kamiko, but do not hide here. If you cannot find value in yourself without the use of your sword, then what value have you got?"

Okami closed her fist around the energy ball. The young wolf stood to her feet. "Please direct me to the surface," she requested.

"Fly over the city, past the bridge, and up the cavern at the end," Tsukiyo spoke. Okami hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, mom. And thank you as well, Satori," Okami spoke. She headed out the mansion as quickly as she could.

Satori and Tsukiyo stared at the direction Okami left in. Satori turned towards Tsukiyo. "Why didn't you tell her that you're living as a pet now?" she asked.

Tsukiyo looked down at her hands. "I've lost so much already. I don't think I want to lose the respect of my only daughter," she responded.

"Suit yourself," Satori spoke, standing up and walking out of the room.


	12. Chapter 12

**Call of the Moon**

**Chapter 12 – Moonlit Fury**

Okami finally made it to the surface after being yelled at by a hashihime and laughed at by a tsuchigumo. She flew high above the canopy and looked around the Gensokyo nighttime skies in an attempt to locate Kamiko. Okami found her floating above the Forest of Magic. The moonlight youkai's attention was fixed upon the Hakurei Shrine in the distance.

Okami flew towards Kamiko at top speed and stopped when she noticed Okami. Kamiko stared at Okami with an unamused look. "I thought I killed you," the moonlight youkai spoke.

"Do I look dead to you?" Okami replied coldly.

Kamiko scoffed and folded her arms. "What is that strange aura you have surrounding you?" she asked, taking notice of the faint white aura surrounding Okami. "Something is different about you."

"I know who I am now," Okami said simply. "Now I've a question for you. Why do you want to destroy Gensokyo? We have done nothing to you."

Kamiko gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. "Nothing, you say? Nothing?! This world has destroyed my life, it's caused everything to go wrong. Humanity, existence… it's all worth nothing!" the moonlight youkai yelled, her eyes glowing brighter. "I used to be a little naïve youkai like you. Until I made the mistake of falling in love, and the man I loved betrayed me. And do you know what I did?"

Okami did not answer, but instead stared blankly at Kamiko.

"I killed him, that's what!" Kamiko shouted. "And then I realized something. I liked it. Killing, destruction, despair. Every moment of it. And I knew that every being in this miserable earth deserved a death by my hand."

"I can't let you threaten my friends. I won't let you threaten Gensokyo. If I have to die, then I'll die protecting all I love," Okami declared, her aura glowing brighter under the full moon's light.

"If you're going to get in my way, then you will be the herald to the destruction of this world! I'm going to start with you!" Kamiko yelled, a mad gleam in her eyes. She flew directly at Okami, who dodged the youkai's lunge and counterattacked with a kick to the head.

Okami summoned several energy orbs and sent them towards Kamiko, who raised her arms to block off the barrage. Kamiko growled and summoned a beam of moonlight and aimed it directly at Okami. "Moonlight Burst!" Kamiko yelled, releasing the beam. Okami instinctively grazed the laser. Even though it did not make contact with her, Okami's could feel some of the moonlight being absorbed into her body. But the intense concentration of it would be far too much for the young wolf to handle. She'd probably explode if she tried to absorb Kamiko's moonlight attacks.

"I'll destroy you!" Kamiko roared, summoning several more lasers and firing them at Okami.

Okami flew in a wide arc away from the lasers, and then closed in on Kamiko. She focused energy to her fist and threw a right hook at the moonlight youkai. She released the energy as the punch connected with Kamiko's side. The punch sent her flying backwards several feet. Okami followed up with several blasts of energy.

"I suppose I'll just name my attacks now…" Okami muttered as she charged up energy. "Reflection of Light!" Okami executed several quick flying kicks that all left trails of danmaku behind her. She aimed her kicks closer and closer to Kamiko, narrowly missing her each time. With one last kick, she kicked Kamiko right in the abdomen.

"AGH!" Kamiko yelled in pain.

The moonlight youkai grabbed Okami's leg and flung her off. Okami struggled to regain her balance, but managed to regain stability in flight. Kamiko summoned a bright light in her arm, and when it faded, the sword was in her hand.

"I'm finished messing with you," Kamiko muttered. She swung the blade in a wide arc, shooting a wave of energy towards Okami. The wave moved so swiftly, that Okami was hit in the right arm, tearing off her sleeve. Blood seeped through the wound left by the attack. Okami's hand flew to her arm, clutching it tightly. Okami charged her other arm with energy again and flew towards Kamiko, ignoring the pain. Okami drew her arm back and flung an energy charged punch at Kamiko.

The moonlight youkai was hit right in the face, but she managed to grab onto Okami's arm and stabbed her in the stomach.

Okami coughed out blood, her eyes widening. Scenes of her nightmare flashed before her eyes, the desolate landscape that used to be Gensokyo, the ruins of the Myouren Temple, and the corpses of all her friends.

"You will die here tonight. I'll make sure of it." Kamiko spat.


	13. Chapter 13

**Call of the Moon**

**Chapter 13 – The Fury Subsides**

Okami felt cold, even as the warm blood seeped out from her wounds. The pain was excruciating and Okami coughed up some more blood. Kamiko locked eyes with Okami, and twisted the blade.

"AGH!" Okami wailed, blood spurting from her wound. "No… I won't let you win…!"

Gathering her strength, Okami gripped Kamiko's shoulder and charged her energy to her hand. She fired a beam of moonlight point blank at Kamiko. The blast was strong enough to knock her backwards several feet, making her let go of the blade, leaving it embedded in Okami's stomach.

"What do you think you can do by separating that blade from me?" Kamiko taunted with a smirk.

Okami gripped the hilt of the blade and pulled it out of her abdomen with a shout of pain. Blood flew everywhere as Okami's free hand clutched the wound in her stomach. 'It hurts… I've never felt a pain so intense before… curses… My vision's going fuzzy…' Okami thought, as she squinted at the silver figure of Kamiko. 'I'm feeling dizzy…'

"No. I won't… lose… to you!" Okami shouted, willing herself to remain conscious. She gripped the blade in her hands and steadied herself.

"Sure, sure. You can keep telling yourself that," Kamiko remarked. "But what good will it do you? I'm still very powerful even without that blade."

"You forget something important," Okami muttered. "I've been stuck with you for hundreds of years. I think I know a couple of things about you. I wonder what would happen to you if I bash you with this sword."

Kamiko's eyes widened and a scowl spread upon her face. "You wouldn't dare try," she hissed, her hands glowing as she charged up power.

Okami dispelled the aura of protection that was around the sword, and glanced sideways at Kamiko. She forces a weak smirk on her face. "You revealed to me your weakness the instant you brought that blade out!" Okami muttered.

She summoned her energy and flew towards Kamiko. The moonlight youkai fired off several lasers. Okami swerved to graze the lasers and slashed at Kamiko with her blade. The blade shattered upon contact with the moonlight youkai, and only the hilt remained. Kamiko stared into space looking more and more horrified. She let out a strangled cry and Okami stared with wide eyes as fragments of Kamiko's being fell apart and finally, in an explosion of bright light, the moonlight youkai was no more.

Remnants of the essence of Kamiko's power drifted through the air and were drawn towards Okami. Weakly, the wolf reached forward towards the essence, and the moonlight was absorbed.

Okami flew back down to the ground and rested against a tree, clutching her stomach wound with one hand and the hilt of the blade in the other.

"What do I do now?" Okami muttered her eyes half closed. "I first came to the Myouren Temple to learn more about my weapon, but… now that it is gone I've nowhere left to go. I can try to head back down to the Palace of the Earth Spirits and live with my mother and Satori… but can I really make it there in my condition?"

The young wolf youkai looked down at the sword hilt she held in her hand. She felt no aura, no power, and no energy from it. Kamiko really was gone. "The least I can do is show Byakuren-sama and everyone at the temple what happened. I owe it to them, after all that I've done," Okami spoke as she stood to her feet. She stumbled as pain pulsed through her body once more. Slowly, the wolf youkai trudged through the forest, following the path that led ahead to the Myouren Temple. She did her best to ignore her wounds, but the pain was clouding her mind.

Okami eventually saw the cobblestone path that led to the temple gates. A sense of relief washed over her as she realized that the temple was untouched. Her nightmare had not come true. Kyouko wasn't at the gate, so she must have gone inside for dinner. Okami approached the door and opened it, but that was the last of her strength. Okami tumbled into the temple face down surprising everyone in the room. A pool of blood started to form underneath her, and she felt the world fade away around her. She shut her eyes and let the darkness take over.

"Is that Okami?"

"What happened?!"

"Oh no, Okami!"

"What the hell?!"

"No! Okami! No! Are you okay! Talk to me, please!" Kyouko shouted, tears pouring out of her eyes, rushing to Okami's side and shaking her shoulder.

"Kyouko, calm down! Don't move her, she's hurt!" Mamizou said, restraining Kyouko.

"But she left a few days ago, and she comes back like this? Why'd she leave? What did this?!" Kyouko demanded, clutching Mamizou's arm.

"She… left because of me," Nue muttered, her eyes fixed on the blade hilt still in Okami's hand. "I blamed her for all the awful things that Kamiko has done to us, and she left to fix it all."

"Nue! Why would you do that! Look what Kamiko has done to her! She's bleeding all over the place!" Kyouko cried. Byakuren pressed a finger to Okami's neck and let out a soft sigh.

"Kyouko, please calm down. She's hurt, but she's a youkai so she'll live. She'll heal in a few days, all she needs to do is rest," Byakuren spoke.

"That sword hilt she's holding," Nue muttered. "That's her sword, isn't it?"

Shou glanced at the hilt. "She must have defeated Kamiko, then."

"So… she really did fix it. I can't believe I said that to her," Nue spoke softly.

"I'm sure she'll forgive you, Nue. She came back to us, didn't she?" Mamizou stated.


	14. Chapter 14

**Call of the Moon**

**Chapter 14 – What Lies Ahead**

Okami groggily opened her eyes to sunlight peeking through the window, feeling numb around her midsection. She sat up and held her head. Glancing around, she noticed that she was back at her room in the Myouren Temple, and her stomach wound has been bandaged. Okami noticed that Kyouko was in her room too; asleep, sitting on a stool and leaning on her broom.

Kyouko blinked her eyes open and gasped. "Okami's awake! You're awake!" she shouted in delight, dropping her broom and giving Okami a great big bear hug. "I'm so happy to see you again! I thought you were dead, but Byakuren said that you were okay, but I was still worried, but you were a big dummy for letting Nue get to you and running away like that, and I'm just happy you're back home with us again!" the yamabiko blurted.

"Oof! Good morning, Kyouko," she spoke, smiling softly. "And… thanks. I'm awake now, and I feel fine." Okami petted the yamabiko on her head gently.

Kyouko's loud yell brought Byakuren and Nue to Okami's room.

"You're awake, Okami," Byakuren spoke, a musical tone to her voice. "Nue would like to say something to you."

Nue stared at Okami. "I'm sorry I blamed this whole mess on you, Okami. I didn't think you would actually fix it. I was just so angry and so frustrated, that I couldn't think straight, and as a result, I put my friend in danger."

"It's fine, Nue, but I should be apologizing. This was indeed all my fault. I wanted to learn about my sword, and I got my wish. I was the one who endangered everyone," Okami replied.

"And with that, can I please speak to Okami alone?" Byakuren asked. Nue nodded and left the room. Kyouko glanced up at Okami with large eyes, and reluctantly let go of Okami.

Byakuren brought the stool to Okami's bedside and sat down. "So, how are you feeling, Okami?" she asked.

Okami stared back at her blankly. "I feel… tired. I've lost my reason for staying here at the temple. I don't know what to do anymore," she replied quietly.

"Well, Okami, how would you like to live here at the temple not as a guest, but as a permanent resident?" Byakuren asked the wolf youkai, an honest smile on her face.

Okami stared at Byakuren, this time with wide eyes. "I… I... accept, Byakuren-sama! Thank you. Thank you so much." Okami bowed her head gratefully. How long ago was it since she actually had a family? It didn't matter anymore. She has one now. Okami looked out the window her room and several birds caught her bright yellow eyes. The birds flittered off into the distant forest.


End file.
